A Gordon Conference on the Biology of Aging will be held from 21 January to 26 January, 1979, at the Miramar Hotel, Santa Barbara, California. Speakers, discussants and poster presentations have been chosen to reflect the conference theme of Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects of Aging. The major sessions will deal with: Evolution of speciation and longevity, Comparative molecular gerontology, Genetic aspects of aging indrosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for the study of aging and the Genetic analysis of clonal senescence in vertebrate and non-vertebrate and non-vertebrate models. A special lecture on Ontogeny and Phylogeny will be presented by Professor Stephen Jay Gould. The goals of the conference will be to critically evaluate various models currently being used for the genetic analysis of various aspects of the aging process, to highlight the importance of the comparative approach and to examine the current status of ideas concerning the evolution of speciation and longevity.